


An ArRay of Fortunate Events

by animemindset



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cute, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:02:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25906297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animemindset/pseuds/animemindset
Summary: Ray is a Senior in college, Kenma just graduated and is one year out, Kuroo is two years out. Kenma already has a flourishing YouTube and Twitch channel, while also making money in stocks. Kuroo’s business is about to take off, but he needs money to invest into it, so he works at the local coffee shop part time.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	An ArRay of Fortunate Events

**Author's Note:**

> FOR THE LOVELY KOZUMESGF ON TIK TOK LOVE YOU GIRL

Ray walked into SiniStir Council, her favorite cafe near campus, later than usual. Her Creative Writing course was the final required class she needed in order to graduate, so she didn't mind putting a little extra time after hours with her professor. This was her last class before finals started the following week. She had a final paper due for this class, and one other final for an elective course. Not wanting to overload herself, she took a few easy courses to lighten her workload while still meeting the credit requirement.

“6:45…” she thought to herself. “I’m usually here by 6:00, I hope there’s a seat left.”

She scanned the room, trying to find someplace she could set up her laptop. There was one spot left; a two-seat table with a nearby wall outlet. Opposite the open seat was a hunched over figure in a black hoodie, hood pulled over their head. Ray walked up to the table and knocked on it twice.

“Is it okay if I take this seat?” she asked.

“Huh….? Oh. Yeah, you can.” he replied.

“Thanks. I’ll be right back.” 

After setting her bag down, Ray made her way over to the shop’s register where she was greeted with a familiar face. 

“Hey! I was starting to get worried, didn’t think you’d make it here today. How’s my favorite writer doing?” Kuroo asked. 

“Could be doing better, wish this place wasn’t so crowded...” she replied. Kuroo looked around and spotted where Ray had placed her stuff. Kuroo smirked.

“What?” Ray asked.

“Nothing,” he responded, “just your usual?”

“Throw in that last piece of cake, I’ve had a long day and I need the sugar to write.” Ray sighed.

With her vanilla latte and chocolate cake in hand, she walked over to her seat. Ray had almost made it to her destination when a tall, silver-haired man came barreling towards her and before she knew it the cake she was so eager to eat was on the floor.

“I’m so so sorry!! I was just so excited to see my friend, Kenma, I didn’t see you. Please let me buy you another to make it up to you,” the man says almost shouting.

“Its alr--” Ray began. 

“It was the last piece, Bokuto.” Kuroo interrupted. He entered the scene with a broom and dustpan in hand.

“It’s alright. This isn’t the first time this has happened.” She smiled and chuckled to herself.

“Cute.” the three boys simultaneously thought.

The hooded figure, whom Bokuto called ‘Kenma’, cleared his throat, “You can have the rest of my apple pie.” 

Three pairs of eyes locked onto Kenma.

“Well, that’s a shock.” Bokuto and Kuroo glanced at each other..

Ray was the first to break the silence.  
“Sure, that’d be great.” she replied as she took her seat and pulled out her laptop. “Thanks...Kenma, is it?” she said quizzically.

“Yeah, just Kenma is fine,” he replied, “what do you like to go by?”

“My name is Raycily but you can call me Ray.” she answered.

Kuroo pulled on Bokuto’s sleeve, motioning for him to exit the conversation.

“Hey hey hey, sorry I actually have to rush out. But it was great seeing you Kenma! Kuroo and I have plans after his shift.”

“Yeah… thanks for saying hi.” Kenma muttered. His head turned back towards his computer, but his eyes remained suspiciously fixed on Kuroo.

Kuroo gave Kenma a subtle wink, then he and Bokuto made their way to the staff lounge, while Ray and Kenma remained seated at the table. Ray opened up her word document for her final paper and scanned through it with frustration.

“I’ve had writer’s block for three days now, I can’t make out any sentences.” She honed in on her latest written paragraph. “And the direction of this section doesn’t make any sense. What happened to the original plot of the story? How am I supposed to tie this back in?”

Kenma noticed Ray furrow her eyebrows in discouragement, but decided not to say anything.

“I wonder why she’s so upset… or what she’s working on.”

He couldn’t help glancing up at her anytime she sighed or changed expressions.

“Maybe she’s a… student? Why else would she be so stressed… or maybe a writer with a deadline?”

As a couple hours passed without either of them speaking Kenma realized he hadn’t gotten any editing done. This wasn’t of utmost importance, but he was hoping he could spend the night playing games rather than finishing editing.

“Hey.. do you happen to know any editors?” Kenma lifts his eyes from his screen to look at Ray.

“Yeah actually, I know quite a few. Most of them work at ‘Further than the Universe Publishing Co.’ I could get you in touch with a couple of them if you wanted.”

“Oh.. a publishing company? Sorry.. I should have specified ‘video’ editors…” Kenma hesitated before continuing. “Are you an editor? Is that why you know other editors?”

“No, I’m a writer actually. Well, a student, with hopes to be a professional writer.”

Kenma saw a small spark on Ray’s face as she mentioned being a professional writer. He noted that it must be important to her, so it was best that he didn’t interact with her much for the rest of the night. They sat in silence for the rest of the night until closing. As Ray packed up her things, Kenma did as well. Not wanting to exit at the same time, he slowly gathered his equipment while Ray hurriedly shoved everything in her backpack.

“Maybe… I’ll see you around.” Kenma muttered as he glanced out the window.

“Yeah, maybe you will.” Ray said over her shoulder as she left.

The weekend flew by with little to no time for Ray to do anything besides write. Both Saturday and Sunday were spent cooped up in the coffee shop, hands cramping from non-stop typing. Kuroo was there both morning shifts, so luckily she had at least a few minutes of friendly social interaction. Saturday morning she asked Kuroo where Kenma was, thinking that Kenma would be there anytime Kuroo was.

“Oh, Kenma streams on the weekend, so he doesn’t have time to come in. Also if you couldn’t already tell, he’s not much of a morning person.”

Ray giggled to herself, took her latte to her seat and let her creativity flow. After meeting Kenma, she noticed she wasn’t having her typical bouts of writer’s block she usually faces when she’s stressed. Less than a week was left until her paper was due, and she felt as though she wasn’t anywhere near finished. The morning and afternoon flew by, only noticing that night had fallen when the remaining barista gave a loud closing time announcement. Ray had written more than she anticipated that day, and even more the following day. By the time Monday morning came, she wasn’t as anxious to finish her work, as she was hoping she would have company.

Ray arrived at the coffee shop minutes after opening, determined to save her table.

“Will he show up today?” She thought. “Kuroo only mentioned he didn’t come in on weekends, but I guess I never asked about the weekdays.”

The place was nearly empty, only a couple patrons occupying seats. Kuroo looked up from his seat and smiled at Ray.

“You’re sitting in my spot, Kuroo.”

“I wanted to make sure I caught you. My shift doesn’t start for another hour, do you have time to chat?”

Ray hesitated, but took the seat where Kenma usually sat.

“Okay, I can spare an hour before getting to work.”

Kuroo spun his chair around so that he was sitting with the back to his chest.

“Okay Ray, I’m going to get right to it. I think you and Kenma would be really great together.”

Ray sat in silence, unsure of how to respond to that. Ray and Kenma had only met once, how on earth would Kuroo have any idea how good they would be together.

Ray opened her mouth ready to protest only to close it back up. She wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea of having Kuroo play matchmaker.

Her hesitation was invitation enough for Kuroo to fully enter shark tank mode.

“Before you say anything, please know that I wouldn’t have even brought it up if I didn’t already play out every scenario and calculate which outcome is most favorable for every party involved.”

Ray’s face softened as she remembered that Kuroo had her best interest at heart.

“I’ve known Kenma my whole life, that kid loves his apple pie. He doesn’t go around giving his share away like that to just anybody.”

Kuroo’s eyes glinted fondly as he spoke about his childhood best friend. Ray could see the honesty behind Kuroo’s words.

“I know that this is your last semester and you want to focus on writing but it’s not like I’m asking you to marry the guy.”

“Then what are you asking me, Kuroo?” Ray retorted.

“You know… just kinda keep him in mind.” 

“Well, I guess. I don’t make any promises. I have drive beyond just finding a boyfriend…”

Kuroo rested his chin on the back of the chair.

“But?”

“But I can keep him in mind.”

Kenma was not a frequent patron of the coffee shop. He had actually only been there once: the previous Friday when Kuroo asked for him to drop by.  
“Why would you need me there? You’re working anyway. We wouldn’t be able to do anything.” Kenma spat, uneasy from the excitement in Kuroo’s voice.

“You know I like you around for moral support! Just like you like me in the room while you play games. We might not be interacting, but we have each other’s backs.”

“I don’t think the same thing applies with you working, Kuroo…”

“But you’re working when you’re playing video games. I keep you company while you work, why won’t you keep me company while I work?”

“I do keep you company while you work… just not in the coffee shop. I always keep you company when you’re coming up with business plans.”

“But that’s because we’re working together on them! This is just to have you around.”

“...I don’t believe you. You always have a scheme or plan you’re trying to work out.”

“Maybe I am, Kenma. Won’t you come anyways?”

“...Fine. When?”

“Friday at 6pm.”

Kenma nods, then hangs up the phone.

“Okay, that’s two hours from now. I can at least start editing.” Kenma thought as he sat down at his desktop.

Kenma walked towards the shop Monday evening, wondering if Ray would already be sitting down.

“Does she come here a lot? I wonder if she and Kuroo already knew each other.” A pang of jealousy hit him. “I haven’t heard him talk about her, but maybe he doesn’t so Alex won’t get hurt.” Little did he know, Kuroo’s girlfriend Alex was the one behind setting up Kenma and Ray.

“Kuroo, doesn’t Kenma seem lonely? I know he has his fans and he’s occupied with work… but things have slowed down now that he’s hired out some things.” Alex flipped through a menu, thinking out loud while deciding what to eat.

“Alex, I was thinking the same thing!” Heather blurted out before Kuroo had time to answer. “I’m not saying he needs someone, but WE need someone! I would love to add another girl to our group. He acts like such a fifth wheel now, I want him to feel included in our group activities.”

“Heather, he does feel included.” Bokuto turned towards her. “I mean, he wouldn’t show up if he didn’t want to!”

Heather side-eyed her boyfriend and then glanced over at Alex. “I think it would be cute if we had six of us.”`

“There’s no point in rushing him. If he wants to date, he will.” Kuroo butted in. “Besides, he wouldn’t want to date just anyone. He has a lot on his plate. They would need to be doing their own thing and not need to be by his side all the time.”

“A driven woman!” Bokuto added.

“So EVERY woman.” Heather turned to Bokuto and elbowed him.

“Kuroo. You already have someone in mind, don’t you?” Alex said, closing her menu and straightening up. “I won’t rush you, but I wouldn’t mind sooner rather than later.”

“I know someone who might be a good fit. But she has to make that decision on her own. I’ll plant the seed, but I care about her too. I’m not going to push her.”

“As you shouldn’t.” Alex and Heather said in unison.

“Think of all the activities we could do now with six people!” Bokuto shouted. “You could finally let me on your YouTube channel, Kuroo! You always invited Kenma. We could do a couple’s edition!”

“Bokuto, it’s called KTKT for a reason. We can’t just add in a couple’s video.”

“Okay…” Bokuto slumped down. Obviously upset, Heather wrapped her arm around him.

“We could all play volleyball together!” She rattled him. “3v3!”

Kenma walked up the stairs to the front door, aware that his heavy editing equipment made him hunch over. A young couple exited the shop and stared as they walked past. Both were adorned with black hoodies sporting “Kodzuken” on the backs.

“They must be fans…” He ducked his head. “I’m glad they didn’t ask for anything.”

Kenma was used to getting stares, which is one of the reasons he didn’t go out much. He gently pulled open the door and pushed back his hood. As the bell above the door rang to signal his entrance, Ray’s head spun towards him. She smiled and removed some of the papers that covered the table. Kenma glanced at the register and saw Kuroo smirk at him.

“Oh. I understand the plan now.” Kenma rolled his eyes but still made his way over to what seemed to be his now regular seat.

“Were you making room for me?” Kenma gestured at the now piled up paperwork.

“Yes, you’re more than welcome to sit with me.”

Kenma pulled out the chair and set up his laptop before taking a seat. He noticed Ray was a lot more chipper than when they had met; her smile never leaving her face.

“Did you have a good weekend?” Kenma asked. He wasn’t usually one to make small talk; it always seemed unnecessary. He was never opposed to sitting in silence. He felt a jolt in his stomach, hoping she would give an honest answer rather than a typical ‘yeah, it was fine’.

“Yeah, it was fine.” Ray responded.

Kenma dropped his eyes to his laptop.

She continued, “I’ve been struggling with writer’s block a lot in the past few weeks, but this weekend the words kept flowing out of me. I’m working on my final assignment for my major, so I’ve been fairly stressed. But sitting in this coffee shop all weekend… I don’t know, I couldn’t help but be excited to write, I guess.”

She paused. Kenma felt his pulse quicken.

“I have you to thank for that I think.”

Kenma glanced back up at her, doing his best to keep his voice from shaking.

“What makes you think that?.. I mean-- we don’t know each other very well.”

“Yet.” Ray added. “But you actually inspired one of my characters. So I made up your personality in my head.”

Kenma lifted his whole head to address her this time. “Can I read it?”

Ray tilted her head. She didn’t like letting people read her work before it was finished. It was soul-bearing, like letting someone see you at your worst points before seeing you at your best.

“...Let me work on my piece more today, then ask me.”

“So you’re saying I’ll have to stay here with you until then?”

“If you want to read about him, then yes.”

Kenma plugged his laptop in and proceeded to edit, a small grin set on his face.

The sun started to set, Ray’s hands nearly cramping from how much typing she had done that day.

“Okay. I think I like where the character is now. Did you still want to read it?”

Ray turned her laptop around to face Kenma. He packed his laptop back into his bag and pulled hers towards him. They sat in silence while Kenma read through the section Ray had highlighted for him. At first he was uneasy. It was a bit unsettling reading about yourself when the writer had little to no idea who you are. He became even more unsettled when his personality was portrayed so accurately through her character. Once he got to the bottom of the section, he scrolled back to the beginning to read it again. He reached the end, and scrolled back up again. He did this three more times. By his last read through, he wasn’t uneasy anymore. He was almost relieved.

“She wrote this character in such a positive light.” He thought. Kenma turned the laptop back to Ray, implying he was done reading. Ray hit save, then packed everything into her bag.

“What did you think?” Ray asked. She clasped her hands together and rested them on the table. She didn’t like asking for anyone’s opinion on her unfinished work. She didn’t want anyone to influence her writing. This time, however, she had a muse. She was anxious to see how much she got right.

“Do you happen to watch my YouTube videos?” Kenma asked bluntly.

“Uh…” Ray looked puzzled. “You’re a YouTuber?”

“Yeah, I guess you could call me one. I do a lot of things… I don’t really think of myself as a full-time YouTuber. Are you familiar with social media?” Kenma glanced towards the window.

“Of course she’s familiar with social media. She’s a college student.” He twirled his hood strings between two fingers.

“I don’t watch much YouTube anymore. I’m on TikTok mostly.”

“Oh… Do you post?”

“Yeah, I actually just hit 10K followers. It’s not a huge following, but it was a cool milestone for me. You post on YouTube? What kind of content?”

“Mostly gaming. I like to play on the Switch. Although Kuroo drags me onto his channel to talk about conspiracy theories.”

“Of course he posts conspiracy theories…” Ray chuckled. Kenma let out a content sigh.

“I’ve always wanted a Switch, but I’ve been so busy with school I would never have time to play.” Ray frowned. “You must have a huge following if you need to be editing all of the time. Kuroo mentioned you stream on the weekends. Do you come to the coffee shop on the weekdays to edit clips then?”

Kenma felt a wave of heat rush over him. “Uh.. No actually.. I typically edit at home… Kuroo asked me to start coming in during the weekdays to keep him company…”

Ray leaned forward and looked up at Kenma through her glasses. “6pm?” She tilted her head as she asked.

“6pm.” Kenma nodded.

“Kuroo was always the best at scheming.”

“He is good at that, isn’t he?” Kenma turned back towards Ray, unashamed his face was bright pink.

Ray and Kenma continued this routine for the rest of the week. Ray arrived early to save their table, then wrote away until Kenma showed up in the evenings. Conversation wasn’t difficult, and each new day brought forth a fountain of new ideas for Ray’s story. Kenma had hired an editor, which allowed him to spend more time focusing on Ray rather than his videos.

“You didn’t have to get an editor, you could stay home and edit.”

“I like routine, though.” Kenma curled his headphone cord around his thumb. “Besides, editing was never the fun part anyway. I prefer the filming.”

“You know, you actually broke your routine to start coming to the coffee shop.” Ray interjected, looking up at Kenma from her writing.

“But then I started a new routine with it.. And I wouldn’t want to break routine twice in one week.”

“Well you might have to. My paper is due tomorrow morning. After that, I won’t really need to come into the coffee shop anymore.” Ray looked back at her screen to continue writing.

“Oh…” Kenma didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to quit his routine. He didn’t want to have to find something new to do in the evenings.

Feeling brave, Kenma asked, “Would you be willing to meet here once more after you’ve submitted your final paper?”

“I think I can manage that. Does Saturday morning work?”

Ray had sat at their usual table, in her usual spot, with her usual drink. She arrived later than usual for a weekend. Her Creative Writing course was the last required class she needed in order to graduate, and with that being done, she had no reason to show up at opening to spend her day writing. After submitting her final paper that morning, she didn’t mind indulging herself one last time. Her latte foam shaped into a flower, something Kuroo had done for her as a graduation present. Kenma was not typically a frequent patron of the coffee shop, nor was he a morning person. But today was special, so he opened the door at 10am, the bell above signaling his arrival. He walked towards his usual seat and pulled out an intricately wrapped box from his bag.

“This is for you. You had.. Uh.. mentioned you wanted one.” He sat down as Ray accepted the box in her hands.

Ray cupped the gift, admiring the detail in the wrapping paper and ribbons.

“Should I open this right now?”

“Yeah… I don’t see a point in waiting.”

Ray pulled at the loose ends of the bow, watching as the ribbon fell to the sides of the box. Unfolding the wrapping and lifting the lid, she saw a bright red tablet with a glossy sheen.

“You got me a Switch?”

“Yeah.. you mentioned how you wouldn’t have time to play until you graduated… and that it would be fun to play together…” He lifted the Switch carefully out of the box. “I had it personalized for you, since they usually don’t come in red.”

He turned the Switch over so Ray could see the back. Ray pushed up her glasses and noticed engraving between the triggers. Congrats Ray was written in flowing cursive letters.

“Short and sweet, of course.” Ray thought.

“This is so nice, you really didn’t have to…” Ray started before Kenma cut her off.

“I thought it would be a good present… and then I could officially ask you…”

“Hmm?”

“I could ask you.. If you wanted to join me in the park tomorrow and play together.”

Ray averted her gaze, afraid Kenma would see her bashful reaction.

“I was going to ask you if you didn’t ask first.”


End file.
